The Presentation Summit is the premier conference for presentation designers. (What, you didn't think we had a club? Think again!) Every year, it attracts people from all over the world who gather together to geek out about presentation design and to learn from the industry's heavy hitters, such as … [Read more...] about The Virtual 2020 Presentation Summit Was Amazing!
Cheat Death by PowerPoint with a free game
In Toastmasters, we have a thing called Table Topics. Speakers are given a topic and they have to come up with a brief speech about it on the spot. Always on the lookout to make online meetings more interesting, I wanted to find a PowerPoint game where I could click on a box to reveal the question. … [Read more...] about Cheat Death by PowerPoint with a free game
Keeping that human touch as a remote presenter
As presenters, we need to be sure that our audience is always engaged. We want to see that people are interested in what we have to say and that they understand our messages. Although it can be a little tougher to do this when we're presenting online, it can be done. In fact, if you want your … [Read more...] about Keeping that human touch as a remote presenter
Dealing with the BIGGEST remote presenting problem
I was very excited to be chosen to speak at the annual Women Transforming Technology conference in Palo Alto! I love travel and was looking forward both to the presentation and to my hiking trips in the California hills. But like many conferences, this one became virtual by the end of March. "No … [Read more...] about Dealing with the BIGGEST remote presenting problem
Tips for hosting online meetings
Many of us have been thrust into the wonderful world online meetings. If you're new to hosting online meetings, you might be eating into your time by helping people to connect to the audio, putting up with someone's barking dog, or explaining how to do screen sharing, among other things. The pros … [Read more...] about Tips for hosting online meetings
5 mistakes to avoid during online meetings
Like many of you, I've ditched in-person meetings for virtual ones during the coronavirus crisis. In my case, it's just more of what I've been doing all along. For others I've been meeting with, it's all brand new. Here are five mistakes I've seen (and made) during online meetings. Some seem like … [Read more...] about 5 mistakes to avoid during online meetings
Huge confidence monitor blocks presenter
Is there such a thing as an "overconfidence monitor"? I think I found one in the wild at a training session I attended in early February. Why confidence monitors are awesome In a perfect world, people memorize every presentation they give and always maintain eye contact with the audience. But … [Read more...] about Huge confidence monitor blocks presenter
Breaking away from the Engineer’s Sine Wave
I joined Toastmasters in 2013 to improve my public speaking. In the past seven years, I've learned a lot about being aware the many aspects of vocal variety. Using skills I've learned at Toastmasters, I make an effort to adjust the pitch, speed, and tone of my voice to keep my audiences engaged. So … [Read more...] about Breaking away from the Engineer’s Sine Wave